Wabote: $5bn NLNG Train 7 Project Now at 30% Completion

*Firm says project to create 50,000 jobs

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Mr Simbi Wabote,  has disclosed that the Train 7 project expected to deliver over 8 million tonnes when completed, has hit 30 per cent completion.
Wabote spoke when the Managing Director, Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), Dr Philip Mshelbila, led his management team to pay a visit to the local content board, according to a statement from the NCDMB.

He expressed delight with the progress being made with the execution of the LNG Train 7 project, noting that it had reached about 30 per cent completion.
He also stated that the worth of the Train 7 project is about $5 billion, which represents a huge Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the Nigerian economy.
Other economic benefits, he said, include the creation of 10,000 direct jobs and about 40,000 indirect employment opportunities.

“There are also upstream projects that are currently being approved that will supply gas to Train 7. Those upstream projects will lead to additional $6 million foreign direct investment into the country.

“This will create employment opportunities, touch the lives of families, raise the profile of the country as a major LNG producer and increase our domestic LPG (cooking gas) production.
“Train 7 is already providing a lot of jobs for Nigerian contractors, fabricators, logistics companies and more. The benefits are enormous,”  Wabote stressed.

He assured that the board will continue to collaborate closely with the Nigeria LNG, especially to ensure deeper cooking gas penetration into the Nigerian market, hinting that NCDMB had partnered with several investors towards improving the accessibility of LPG.
Wabote also encouraged Nigeria LNG to consider further investments, highlighting that Qatar already has about 14 LNG trains.
He said Nigeria needed to grow its LNG capacities, especially with the world’s clamour for energy transition and federal government’s declaration that gas is Nigeria’s transition fuel.

In his comments, Mshelbila noted that the NCDMB and the NLNG were to set up a tactical team comprising nominees from both organisations to drive closer collaboration on projects, ensure compliance with local content obligations.
“NLNG and NCDMB have a special partnership that is beyond operator and regulator relationship.

“We started this relationship when we signed a Service Level Agreement (SLA) a few years ago and it put in place standards by which we would work together and ensure compliance and guard against surprises,” he noted.
Mshelbila noted that the current plan was to take the relationship further and beyond complying with the provisions of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act.

 “NLNG has a vision not just to be a globally competitive business, but to help build a better Nigeria. To do that we have to work closely with the NCDMB and raise our partnership to a new level, and that includes human development, research, and other areas.”
Speaking on the ongoing Train 7 LNG project, Mshelbila recalled how NCDMB supported the Nigeria LNG in various ways to enable the take-off of the project.

He added: “The FID was taken successfully with the help of NCDMB and the project is now under construction, making good and safe progress.
“ We are looking at potentially 5,000 to 10,000 persons being employed on different phases of the project.
“We already have thousands working on the ground. It is employing various contractors across different areas. This is a true example of how local content should be,” he added.